Today we’d like to introduce you to Alma Ortega.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story began in 2018, when I finally made the decision to go back to school and pursue nursing. I didn’t know exactly where that decision would take me, but I knew one thing: I wanted to help people, especially people in my community who sometimes feel unheard, misunderstood, or simply don’t know where to start when it comes to their health.
Coming from a Hispanic background, education and stepping into the professional world felt different for me. There were barriers I didn’t even realize existed until I started trying to break through them. There were moments when I questioned myself, moments when I felt like I didn’t belong in certain rooms, and moments when balancing my culture, my family, motherhood, school, and my career felt almost impossible. But I kept going.
Eventually, I became a nurse and spent four years working in trauma. Trauma nursing changed me in ways that are difficult to explain unless you’ve lived it. I saw people on some of the worst days of their lives. I saw fear, pain, loss, and families whose lives changed in a matter of seconds.
There were incredibly hard nights, but I loved being a nurse. I loved knowing that even during someone’s darkest moment, I could be there to care for them, educate them, comfort them, or simply remind them that they weren’t alone. But behind the scrubs, I am also a mom of three small children.
I was working long night shifts, coming home exhausted, trying to be present for my babies, and still carrying this dream of becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner. Eventually, I had to make the difficult decision to step away from bedside nursing. At first, it almost felt like I was stepping away from the career I had worked so hard to build. What I didn’t realize was that I wasn’t giving up on my purpose. **My purpose was simply changing.**
As I continued my education, I became interested in wellness, preventative care, IV hydration, aesthetics, skincare, and different ways we can take better care of ourselves before our health reaches a crisis. That also made me think deeply about my own Hispanic community.
sometimes we are raised to push through everything.
We take care of our children. We take care of our spouses. We work. We take care of our parents and everyone around us and sometimes we put ourselves last. I wanted to help change that mindset.
I wanted to create a place where people could feel comfortable asking questions without feeling embarrassed or judged. A place where education was just as important as the service being provided. A place where someone could begin understanding that taking care of themselves isn’t selfish because it matters. Well somewhere along that journey, I fell in love with aesthetics too.
Growing up, nobody taught me about skincare. I didn’t understand treatments, ingredients, or why taking care of your skin mattered. As I got older and began educating myself, I realized that our skin is part of our health too.
But I also discovered something deeper. When someone has struggled with their skin, their weight, aging, acne scars, or simply no longer recognizes the person looking back at them in the mirror, it can affect their confidence tremendously. Sometimes helping someone feel beautiful again isn’t about vanity. Sometimes it’s about helping them find a little piece of themselves again.
That is where Alma Latina Holistic Beauty was born.
And the name *Alma Latina* means so much to me because this business truly has my **alma “my soul”in it.
It represents the Latina in me.
The nurse in me.
The mother in me.
The student who refused to quit.
The woman who walked into rooms scared but walked in anyway.
And the entrepreneur who is still learning, growing, making mistakes, dreaming bigger, and figuring things out as she goes.
I’m still working toward my goal of becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner. I’m still a mom trying to balance children, a career, school, and a growing business. I definitely don’t have everything figured out.
But when I look back at the woman who made that decision in 2018, I realize how far she has come.
I hope my children see that. I hope another Latina sees that. I hope another mom who thinks her dreams have to be put away because she has children sees that. And I hope someone who has ever felt like they didn’t belong in certain spaces realizes that sometimes you have to walk into those spaces anyway and create your own seat at the table.
At the end of the day, I’m just a Latina with a big dream and an even bigger heart for her community.
I want to educate. I want to serve. I want people to feel healthier, more confident, and more empowered to take care of themselves. And if my journey can inspire even one other woman to believe that she can be a mother, pursue an education, build a career, chase a dream, and still create something of her own—then everything it took to get here was worth it.
This is Alma Latina. This is my story. And I truly feel like I’m only getting started.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. There have been many moments where I questioned myself, felt overwhelmed, or wondered if I was trying to carry too much at once.
One of my biggest struggles has been learning how to balance all the different roles in my life. I’m a mother, a wife, a nurse, a student working toward becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner, and now a business owner. There are days when I feel like there simply aren’t enough hours to give 100% to everything and everyone, and learning not to feel guilty about that has been a journey of its own.
Professionally, I’ve also had to push through barriers. Coming from a Hispanic background, I didn’t grow up seeing many women who looked like me building businesses in healthcare and wellness. There were so many things I have to learn on my own not only about medicine, but about business, regulations, marketing, finances, and simply having the confidence to put myself out there.
Starting Alma Latina Holistic Beauty has also meant stepping outside of my comfort zone. I’ve had to educate my community about services they may not be familiar with or may initially be skeptical about. But that challenge has actually made my purpose even clearer. I don’t just want to provide a service; I want people to understand their health, ask questions, and feel comfortable taking an active role in their wellness.
There have been sacrifices, long nights, mistakes, changes in direction, and plenty of moments when things did not go according to plan. I’m still learning and growing every day. But I think that is what makes this journey so meaningful. I didn’t wait until everything was perfect I started with a vision, continue educating myself, and I keep moving forward.
When I look back at the nurse and mother I was when I first started this journey, I realize every difficult season taught me something. The road hasn’t been smooth, but every obstacle has helped shape the woman, nurse, and entrepreneur I am becoming.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Alma Latina Holistic Beauty was created from my passion for nursing, wellness, beauty, and, most importantly, education. I wanted to build something that felt personal and represented who I am, which is why the name Alma Latina means so much to me. “Alma” means soul, and I wanted my culture and heart to be at the soul of my business.
I’m also very fortunate to have my friend Carolina Garcia working alongside me and helping with the business. Building a business can be overwhelming, and having someone beside you who believes in what you’re creating and is willing to help you grow it makes a difference. We definitely have our moments where we’re figuring things out as we go, but that’s part of what makes this journey ours.
We focus on both aesthetics and wellness because I truly believe feeling your best isn’t just about what you see in the mirror. Our services include medical aesthetics and skin treatments such as microneedling and chemical peels, as well as wellness services including vitamin injections, IV hydration, and medically supervised GLP-1 weight-management programs. My goal is to continue expanding our services as I continue advancing my education in healthcare.
What I think sets Alma Latina apart is the education and personal connection behind what we do. I’m a nurse first, and that is something I carry into every interaction. I don’t want someone to come in, receive a treatment, pay, and leave without understanding what we are doing or why. I want my clients and patients to feel comfortable asking questions, understand their options, have realistic expectations, and know that not every treatment is appropriate for every person. Safety and proper medical evaluation will always come before making a sale.
I also wanted to create a space where the Hispanic community feels represented and comfortable learning about aesthetics and wellness. Sometimes there can be hesitation surrounding treatments that are unfamiliar to our culture, and I understand that. Instead of pushing something on someone, I would rather educate them, explain the science in a way that makes sense, and allow them to make an informed decision for themselves.
One thing I am especially proud of is that I genuinely practice what I preach. My own wellness journey has changed the way I care for myself and the way I approach my business. I know what it feels like to be the busy mom who puts herself last. I know what it feels like to want change but not know where to begin. That experience allows me to connect with people on a much more personal level.
Brand wise, I’m most proud that Alma Latina is becoming a reflection of everything I originally wanted it to stand for, culture, education, confidence, wellness, and community. I don’t want to build a brand that makes people feel like they need to change who they are to be beautiful. I want to build one that encourages people to invest in themselves, take care of their health, feel confident in their own skin, and understand that self care can be about so much more than appearance.
We are still growing, and honestly, I think that is one of the most exciting parts of our story. Alma Latina Holistic Beauty is not just about where we are today it’s about what I am working to build for tomorrow. My hope is to continue growing into a trusted wellness and aesthetics resource for my community while never losing the heart, culture, and personal connection that started it all.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I was always very independent, strong-willed, and curious. I’ve always been the type of person who wants to figure things out for myself, and when I set my mind on something, I can be pretty determined about it. I’ve also always had a caring side and naturally found myself wanting to help people, even before I knew that nursing would eventually become such a big part of my life.
I grew up in a Hispanic household, so family and our culture were a huge part of my upbringing. I learned early on the importance of working hard, taking care of the people you love, and pushing through even when things aren’t easy. At the same time, I don’t think I necessarily grew up imagining myself as a nurse, business owner, or entrepreneur. A lot of those dreams developed as I got older and started realizing that I wanted more for myself and my family.
Personality wise, I’ve always been a little bit of everything. I can be outgoing and love connecting with people, but I’m also someone who is constantly thinking, planning, and dreaming about what I can do next. Education is a big part of myself, I love learning and educating others.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://almalatinabeauty.glossgenius.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soullatinatx?igsi=bndpN3p2OGFsdmYw
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EtuVERqYn/
